Ironheart: release date, trailer, confirmed cast, story details, and more on the Marvel Phase 5 TV show

Ironheart is almost ready for lift-off. The next Marvel TV show to arrive on Disney+, it'll be available to stream on June 24 in the US, and June 25 in the UK and Australia. So, there's no time like the present to get the lowdown on the forthcoming series.

Below, I've rounded up the latest intel on Ironheart. Indeed, you'll learn more about its confirmed cast, story specifics, various trailers, and more. Once you're done, you'll be a Riri Williams expert.

Be advised that full spoilers follow for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, aka the Marvel movie that Williams made her live-action debut in. So, proceed with caution if you haven't watched it yet.

Ironheart release date

As mentioned, Ironheart will take flight with a three-episode premiere on Tuesday, June 24 in the US, and Wednesday, June 25 in the UK and Australia. Fans in other countries will be able to watch it one of these dates, too.

Ironheart's release has been long overdue. Originally conceived as a movie, the Marvel Phase 5 project was turned into a TV production in December 2020 – a developmental shift that came almost two years after the show's initial reveal.

Williams' standalone MCU adventure has been trapped in development hell ever since Wakanda Forever's theatrical release in late 2022, too. There's little to no public information on why it's taken so long to get off the ground. However, with Disney confirming Ironheart would be among its 2025 TV line-up in October 2024, we don't have much longer to wait for it.

Ironheart trailer

Arriving just over three weeks before the show's release, Ironheart's official trailer revealed Williams will get a magic-infused supersuit at some point. Oh, and it also teased an MCU villain's arrival that fans have waited over four years for.

Missed Ironheart's first trailer when it debuted online in mid-May? Check it out below:

There's plenty more footage to pore over ahead of the series' launch as well. Check out Ironheart's first full clip, which has fans singing the praises of Anthony Ramos' take on The Hood (more on him in this article's cast section) or watch its behind-the-scenes featurette below, which includes more details about its development.

Before all of the above was revealed, Marvel unveiled Ironheart's first official footage as part of a Disney+ sizzle reel teaser celebrating its 85th birthday last August. That's all we were treated to until this wave of new footage, too, so it was slim pickings for a while there!

Ironheart confirmed cast

Possible spoilers follow for Ironheart.

Here are the actors you'll see, plus the characters they'll play, in Ironheart:

• Dominique Thorne as Riri Williams/Ironheart
• Anthony Ramos as Parker Robbins/The Hood
• Lyric Ross as Natalie Washington
• Alden Ehrenreich as Joe McGillicuddy
• Regan Aliyah as Ronnie Williams
• Manny Montana as Cousin John
• Matthew Elam as Vaxier Washington
• Jon Rash as the Dean of MIT
• Anji White as TBC

Thorne, who portrayed Williams in Wakanda Forever, returns to play the same character here. For those who need a refresher: Williams is an MIT student with a genius intellect who builds a super-suit not unlike the one Tony Stark invented.

In Wakanda Forever, Williams' first attempt to build said suit is still in early development. And, while she's gifted a souped-up version of her design by Shuri in that film's final act, Williams is told to leave it in Wakanda at Shuri's request. In short: she'll need to continue working on her own suit in her self-titled show.

Meanwhile, Ramos (In the Heights, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts) will portray Ironheart's charismatic villain in Parker Robbins, aka The Hood.

In Marvel literature, he's a Chicago-based individual who wears a mystical hood that grants him the ability to use dark magic. In the MCU, he's initially billed as an ally of Thorne's Williams, with Robbins' street gang-turned-activists – the Young Lords – offering to help Williams create her suit of armor. Based on the trailer, though, the pair will be at odds with each other soon enough.

That leading duo is joined by other familiar faces and newcomers.

Ross (This is Us) is attached to play Natalie Washington, Riri's best friend who – spoiler – is killed in a drive-by shooting. Here, though, she'll be resurrected as the artificial intelligence (AI) assistant created by Williams.

Meanwhile, Star Wars alumnus Ehrenreich (Solo: A Star Wars Story) is set to play Joe McGilllicuddy, who's reportedly another of Riri's friends. According to some industry insiders, he's actually the son of Iron Man villain Obadiah Stane.

Rounding out the confirmed cast are White (Fargo, Chicago PD) as Riri's mom, Montana (Good Girls) as Cousin John, Elam (The Many Saints of Newark) as Xavier Washington, Rash (Harley Quinn, Captain America: Civil War) as the Dean of MIT, and Aliyah (XO, Kitty) in an undisclosed role.

Additionally, Sacha Baron Cohen has reportedly been cast as the Marvel demon lord called Mephisto. Given The Hood will dabble in the dark side of the Mystic Arts, this isn't as big a stretch as it sounds.

If true, it'll mean Ironheart will include a previously rumored WandaVision villain. MCU fans were convinced that Mephisto was the primary villain of that Elizabeth Olsen-starring TV show for much of its run. However, Kathryn Hahn's Agatha Harkness was eventually revealed to be WandaVision's antagonist.

Ironheart story synopsis and speculation

Potential spoilers follow for Ironheart.

Here's Ironheart's official plot brief: "Set after the events of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Marvel Television’s Ironheart pits technology against magic when Riri Williams – a young, genius inventor determined to make her mark on the world – returns to her hometown of Chicago.

"Her unique take on building iron suits is brilliant, but in pursuit of her ambitions, she finds herself wrapped up with the mysterious yet charming Parker Robbins, aka The Hood."

This kind of synopsis is par for the course for Marvel projects, but Ironheart's cast and crew have given us some other hints about the character's standalone MCU story.

Let's get one thing straight for we proceed: Ironheart isn't replacing Tony Stark as the MCU's new Iron Man-like hero. Long-time Marvel fans will know that the pair had a teacher-student relationship in the comics, which is something executive producer Ryan Coogler touches on in the BTS featurette above.

However, discussing the series in the aforementioned vignetee, Marvel's Head of Television Brad Winderbaum said of the MCU's take on Williams/Ironheart: "The story of Ironheart is not one about the mantle of Iron Man getting passed. If anything, it's the opposite."

"It's about her proving herself and shaping her own legacy," Zoie Nagelhout, another of the show's executive producers, added. In short, even if she's partly inspired by Stark's work, this is a tale about Williams becoming a hero in her own right.

"She’s not Tony Stark," Thorne added in a separate conversation with SFX Magazine. "She doesn't have a billion dollars at her disposal. She doesn't have the resources... she doesn’t have the mentorship, or the guidance. So, what does it look like for someone like The Hood to enter her sphere now, where she is vulnerable and reflecting? It does set the stage for a very interesting journey ahead."

Well, eventually. At first, The Hood and his gang of misfits seemingly want to help Williams achieve her ambitions of creating a suit that can rival Iron Man's. However, while the trailers and BTS featurette confirm Williams will succeed in this endeavor, it's unclear how much of a role The Hood and company will play in its development. Yes, the magic-infused supersuit suggests they'll have a big say in its creation, but I'm not sure how much involvement they'll actually have.

What is clear is how much time has passed since Wakanda Forever's ending. Per Ironheart's BTS video, head writer Chinaka Hodge revealed it takes place "in the days after" Black Panther 2. So, while many other Marvel films and TV shows are set in the MCU's "present" (i.e. around 2026/2027), this series is apparently taking a step back and is set in mid-2025.

But I digress. If you haven't picked up on it by now, Ironheart's story will be a battle between two very different forms of creation: science (or, to be more specific, technology) and magic.

That's a given when you consider Williams and The Hood occupy the roles of each field's creator-in-chief in this series. However, as Marvel President Kevin Feige pointed out at D23 Expo 2022 (per The Direct), this is the first time these opposing forces will clash in an MCU production.

"[The Hood], from the comics, he deals in the dark arts," Feige said. "He deals in magic. Riri is a technologist. We've had technological heroes and villains. We've had supernatural people dealing with magic. We've never had the two at the same time, so seeing Riri go up against [The Hood] in a way that is very unique is what I think I'm most excited for."

Here's hoping there's more than an air of creativity when these characters collide physically, then, and we don't have to sit through more bland, VFX-infused battles where the hero's skillset mirrors that of the villain's.

What Marvel movies and shows do I need to watch before Ironheart?

There's only one Marvel production you need to watch on Disney+, aka one of the world's best streaming services, before Ironheart is released. That's Black Panther 2, i.e. one of the best Marvel movies of recent years, if you weren't aware.

Williams/Ironheart has also appeared in season 3 of the animated MCU TV show What If...?. However, because it has no bearing on Ironheart's journey in the MCU, it isn't necessary to watch that episode.

Not signed up to Disney+ yet, but want to know how much it costs? Read our Disney+ price guide.

How will Ironheart impact the MCU?

The short answer is: I don't know. Ironheart could've become a fundamental part of the MCU if her solo series had released sooner – in fact, given her comparisons to a certain Tony Stark and his superhero alter-ego in Iron Man, Thorne's Williams could've been his natural MCU successor.

With Disney shaking things up at Marvel Studios since Ironheart was greenlit and the latter failing to capitalize on her potential popularity post-Wakanda Forever, though, the character's MCU fate is up in the air.

If Ironheart is a hit, it's possible she could join the cast of Avengers: Doomsday and/or Avengers: Secret Wars. However, should the series struggle to leave an impression, Williams could find herself relegated to the side lines.

Land somewhere in-between the two and, given her relative age, she may join the ranks of the MCU's long-rumored Young Avengers (or Champions, whatever they'll be called...) production. Until her show ends, then, we're none the wiser about what impact Ironheart will have on Marvel's cinematic juggernaut.

For more MCU-based coverage, read my guides on how to watch the Marvel movies in order, The Fantastic Four: First Steps, Spider-Man: Brand New Day, and Daredevil: Born Again season 2.